Starting with a simple dough, this savoury homemade bread with sage and walnut vegan pesto is so moreish and full of flavour.

I often talk about how much I enjoy about the whole process of homemade bread. There’s something primal about it. Remember how we all flocked to it during the Covid lockdowns? I love each step. The little bit of exercise kneading the bread (though I do sometimes cheat and use my workhorse/Kitchen Aid). Pottering while the yeast does its thing and magically puffs up the dough. The finishing touches to turn it from a lump of dough into something with a shape. And the final bake – because with it comes THAT smell that I don’t think can be beaten. And then of course there’s getting to eat the fruits of your labour.

When it comes to homemade bread, which, lets face it, can be a lengthy process I truly believe its consumption should be savoured. Literally take a moment. Squeeze, smell and indulge. Mindfulness doesn’t get better IMHO.

It’s not as complicated as it looks to make the twist or braid either but worth the extra step.

Homemade Bread Ingredients

Strong Flour – for kneaded dough we use strong flour – this can be white, wholemeal and malted. Here we’re using white and wholemeal. It needs to be strong flour because it has a higher gluten (protein) content and during kneading the gluten gets stretched and torn, allowing it to trap the gas produced by yeast during fermentation. This is essential for the bread to rise and give it a light, airy crumb.

Active Dried Yeast – this is a living organism that is dormant until it’s dissolved in tepid water. The yeast consumes sugars and starch, producing carbon dioxide – which gets trapped in the gluten strands of the dough and makes it rise.

Sugar and salt – sugar is there as ‘food’ for the yeast and the salt is there for flavour. Always follow a recipe when making bread and add accurate measurements of salt. Too much salt can kill yeast and means your bread won’t rise. I learnt this the VERY hard way at catering college and in a rush just chucked a handful of salt in the bread dough thinking it would be ok. The hundred+ rolls did not rise and were more akin to hockey pucks. A thoroughly embarrassing (and time consuming) mistake only saved by the teacher finding some rolls in the freezer so the college restaurant guests could have bread with their lunch!

Pesto Ingredients

Nutritional yeast – vegan pesto is almost exactly the same as non-vegan pesto. The only difference is we don’t add parmesan! You can add vegan parmesan but I tend to use nutritional yeast instead (it’s cheaper and more readily available)

Sage – you’ll need fresh sage for this. If you can’t get hold of it, substitute with the more traditional basil.

Walnuts – I love the texture walnuts give pesto and often use them instead of pine nuts in any pesto I make. Toast them before hand either in the oven or a dry frying pan for even more nutty flavour!

Oil – I’ve tried all sorts of oils in my various pestos over the years and can honestly say they all lend their own ‘something’. Olive oil is traditional but you can switch it up with nut and seed oils.

How to make homemade bread

Heat the water until it’s just tepid – when you test it with your finger you can’t tell if it’s hot or cold. Whisk in the sugar and yeast and cover with a t-towel.

Put both the flours and salt into a large bowl. Once a froth has formed on top of the yeast liquid (usually takes 5-10 minutes) pour into bowl with the flour then stir together until it starts to form a dough.

Tip out onto your surface, adding a little flour if the dough is very sticky. Knead for at least 5 minutes. You want to tear and stretch the dough – hold half the dough in one hand and use your other hand to stretch and push the other half away from you. Bring the two pieces back together and repeat the process. Keep repeating until the dough feels smooth and elastic.

Clean your mixing bowl, rub it with a little oil and place the dough inside. Cover with a t-towel and leave somewhere warm until it’s doubled in size. This can take anything from 30-90 minutes dependent on ambient temperature.

While it’s proving make the pesto – put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a smooth(ish) paste.

Shaping the dough into a plait or twist

When the dough is well risen tip out of the bowl onto a floured surface, then roll out to a large rectangle roughly 18 x 12 inches (45 x 30 cm).

Spread all the pesto across the dough and roll up from the long end like a giant Swiss roll.

Cut the dough in half lengthways so the layers are exposed.

Twist and tuck the two halves of dough over and under each other until it’s a giant knot shape. Carefully lift into a 10 inch (25 cm) springform baking tin with a piece of parchment covering the base.

Leave to prove until it’s risen almost level with the tin.

Just before it’s finished proving preheat your oven to 160 Fan / 180 C / 350 F / Gas 4.

Bake the bread for 45 – 50 minutes until well risen, crispy and lightly golden.

Leave in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely – though I thoroughly recommend carving off chunks while it’s still warm!

The cooled bread will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container.

Looking for even more vegan bread recipes? Try these:

Blueberry Twisty Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cheese and Herb Bread

Kombucha Bread

Cheese and Tomato Pizza Rolls

Garlic and Herb Naan

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